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By: LaDonna May-Barnes, MPH, and Hailey May, B.S. Psychology and Social Work The labor movement in the United States established the labor protections that many of us take for granted – the 8-hour workday, overtime pay, the weekend, minimum wage, paid vacation, sick days, healthcare insurance, safety standards, and child labor laws just to name a few. These labor protections were virtually non-existent prior to the 20th century. It was during the late 1900’s and the early 20t

In the early 1900’s, infectious diseases were the leading causes of death in the United States. Roughly 40% of these deaths occurred in children under 5 years old. By 1997, less than 5% of all U.S. deaths were attributed to infectious diseases. Three major public health advancements made this dramatic shift possible – improvements in sanitation and hygiene practices, the development and widespread use of antibiotics, and the development and implementation of mass vaccination

Even after the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, which was signed into law by then president, George H.W. Bush, it was still common for people with disabilities to be institutionalized, either in nursing homes or group homes. This practice was often forced upon families by the lack of government assistance and community-based services. The 1999 Supreme Court decision in the case of Olmstead v. L.C. deemed the practice of unnecessary confinement of disabl

While the deep budget cuts to public health programs and health-related research during the past 18 months have affected Americans across all demographic groups, certain groups have been affected more than others. As Pride Month draws to a close, let us explore some of these effects on one of the most marginalized demographic groups in the country - the LGBTQ+ community. While less than 11% of U.S. adults identify as LGBTQ+, the effects of these recent budget cuts have been e

Did you know that most of the over 1.2 million military personnel who have given their lives in service to our country did not actually die in combat? That's right. They died from infectious disease. Until relatively recently in our country's history, infectious disease killed the majority of the troops who entered a wartime theater, not combat operations. Several issues exacerbated the spread of infectious disease among military personal during wartime deployments - poor hyg